Carrie Elkin is one of those rare artists with a tidal wave singing voice, and a stage whisper writing voice that brings you to the edge of your seat, emotionally. Drawing comparisons to Patty Griffin or Brandi Carlile, the Austin singer-songwriter straddles the musical realms of Americana, folk, and indie rock, writing meaningful songs to meet her fierce-yet-fragile voice. Between her voice, stories, and infectious enthusiasm, Elkin is something of a complete package, and she channels all of it into her powerful live performances.

On March 10th Elkin will release her seventh record The Penny Collector . The album marksher long-awaited first solo release since 2011’s Call It My Garden. But she’s been busy in that time period, releasing a duo record with her husband, songwriter Danny Schmidt, performing as a featured vocalist in the Sam Baker Trio, and touring as the musical guest with the hit podcast Welcome To Night Vale.

Today Glide Magazine is offering an exclusive premiere of The Penny Collector. The album was written during a challenging year that was bookended by the birth of Elkin’s first child and the process of caretaking her father through the dying process. You can hear this massive swirl of emotion throughout the album as it offers a poet’s take on the human lifecycle in one single year. It’s a journey that is beautifully told, fragile and heartbreaking at times, joyous and raucous in others. At the center of it all is Elkin’s powerhouse vocal performance, delivering delicate waves of intimacy that build to astonishing crests and crashes of intensity.

Reflecting on the album, Elkin says, “I started writing The Penny Collector the day I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, and six months after losing my father. The process of writing and recording the album came from this beautiful space where joy and grief intersected to create imagery that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. The landscape of the recording is full of unexpected surprises.”

LISTEN:

Carrie Elkin releases The Penny Collector on March 10th. For more info visit carrieelkin.com.